As the winter ducks slowly depart, today Old Moor welcomed back another spring migrant, the blackcap.
Here is today’s summary of sightings…
At Adwick Washland, Gary Stones provided sightings that included: seven avocet, twenty or more redshank, four ringed plover, one little ringed plover and a black-tailed godwit. The Egyptian and the pink-footed goose were still present and a blackcap could be found here too. Gary’s complete list can be found here. Thanks Gary.
Old Moor's early spring wildflowers were benefitting from a damp start and none catches the eye at the present quite like those cowslips. A carpet of nodding yellow blooms now adorns the banks and pastures of Old Moor, especially under their namesake pylon!
Keep an eye-out too for brown hare on the reserve at the moment. I seem to see these most on the Reedbed Trail though they can turn up almost anywhere.
There was no sign of the recent Mediterranean gulls today that I know of, but other species were making themselves known. Okay, not perhaps your typical spring songsters, many were in fine voice! Those lesser black-backs even managed to cut through the black-headed cacophony at times this afternoon.
Buzzards harried occupants of the Mere several times this afternoon and provided watchers in the Wader Scrape hide with excellent views.
Almost unnoticed, on Wath Ings, in the sunken willow to the left of the hide, two little grebe have set up a nest. Safe in the willow’s branches, one bird was sitting this afternoon while its partner kept watch nearby. If all goes well, in around three weeks, between four and six young grebe will be the newest arrivals on the marsh.
Until next time.
Somewhere in the middle there is a little grebe on a nest
Good to hear that that lovely singer, the blackcap, is back on the reserve.